Malfoy Manner
by Battler Rune
Summary: Not everything always goes as one expects it. Even when one has always thought of it. Hermione and Draco meet for a project, does this mean that they'll end up together? Maybe not. Ron is still here and the smartest witch is the most sought after. Is this a challenge Malfoy is up to?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

'What is that you want?'

'Some excitement, Ron. Whether or not it was right, we spent years chasing around Voldemort with Harry. Our final years in school, we were in hiding, looking for Horcrux. And the last couple of years have been nice – quiet, peaceful…all in all, nice. But honestly, I'm bored of it. I need something more.'

'Hermione…' Ron sighed, 'I don't. I don't need more. I don't need or want to constantly be looking over my shoulder or waiting for you to come back or worrying about your wellbeing every single day. I do not want to deal with it. I can't deal with it.'

'But Ron…'

'Hermione, enough. Please. We talked about this when the war ended. We talked about leading quieter lives. We talked about having a family and spending more time with said family. I can't keep fighting about this…Every. Single. Day. I can't…

'Maybe it would be best if we broke up then…' Hermione offered in a small voice. She outlined the pattern on the tile with her eyes, waiting for him to speak.

'Maybe it would be.'

Hermione often replayed this conversation in her head. The pain that she had felt then reverberated in her heart each time she did that though they had grown apart much before this conversation. Slowly, but surely, in the years following the war. Well not exactly in the years after but, soon after. The first few years had been brilliant. Hermione worked in a bookshop in Diagon Alley and Ron worked with Fred at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, in huge contrast to Harry who had immediately taken up a job as an Auror. The euphoria from winning the war had carried them through. They rarely ever fought because they always looked at the big picture – being alive, safe and together. The years after that became harder. Both Ron and Hermione got a job offer from the ministry to be Aurors. The ministry was still putting away a lot of small-time death eaters and there was a lot of scrutiny surrounding their work. The ministry wanted to look good: they need the Golden Trio. Ron turned down the job without hesitation but, Hermione faltered.

She played around with the offer; bringing it up to Ron several times. He didn't want her to take it. They had already discussed not going into any dangerous careers after the war. But Hermione was bored of her job at the bookshop. It employed none of her mental faculties. The only thing she did was read in abundance, which was a delight at first. However, less so later when she found no outlet for her new found knowledge. Eventually, they parted ways. They just couldn't fight anymore. The relationship had stopped being a safe haven or even fun. It was a constant source of tension and annoyance. They both understood where the other was coming from. Ron, rattled by the death of his brother, didn't want to have worry as much about any other loved one – and Hermione understood that which is why she hadn't taken the job in the first place. Ron understood Hermione desire to do more, to be more. It had been wonderful while it lasted. They both recognized it as a good decision in hindsight. Now, 5 years on, they were fairly good friends.

'Ms. Granger, may I come in?' a familiar voice broke her from her reverie.

Hermione's eyes flew up to meet the cool grey orbs of her childhood nemesis, Draco Malfoy. He raised an eyebrow at her silence.

'Ye-s' she stuttered, 'Of course. I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Please come in.' She rose from her chair and offered her hand. 'How are you?'

He took it. His hand felt warm, but not uncomfortably so. As a child, she had always thought he would be cold to touch – as cold as his heart. 'I'm alright, thank you. Do you have a minute to talk?'

She gestured to the seat in front of her desk and sat back down. 'Yes, tell me. How can I help you? And what brings you here?'

'I've just started working with the Ministry of Magic as a liaison officer for the MACUSA.'

'Oh, I had heard something about you moving abroad.'

'Yes, I moved to the States. Better opportunity for someone like myself.' Hermione tilted her head sideways at the ex-Death Eater. The fact that the term 'ex-Death Eater' had come to her head so quickly is probably why he moved. 'They sent me down to you because we are having some trouble. It is common knowledge that your understanding of spell work is yet unparalleled and so, we were hoping to bring you onto our project as an advisor.'

Hermione chuckled a little, earning a second raised eyebrow from Malfoy. 'Never expected to hear a compliment from you.' She explained

'Ms Gran-'

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I understand that you are trying to move on the past and preconceived opinions of yourself. Saying things like I just did is uncalled for.' He nodded stiffly.

'What is the project?'

'It's top secret so unfortunately, I cannot share the details with you but I can offer you this: it has a lot to do with the confiscation of cursed portkeys in Knockturn Alley last week.'

Hermione pursed her lips analysing the man sitting before her. The man she had barely seen since the end of the war, who she hadn't heard much of since the post-war trials and thought of even less. He looked well…good, even. His hair was scruffy, almost like Harry's messy style and very much unlike his own slicked-back look at Hogwarts. She liked it. It was almost naughty. 'I will need clearance from my department but, I'm interested in being a part of this.'

'Brilliant. That's what was what I was hoping you'd say.' He finished as he stood up. 'Good day to you Ms Granger. I'll be in touch.'

'You too, Mr Malfoy.' She smiled politely as he exited. Apart from his hair, the rest of Malfoy was exactly she would've imagined. He was in a well-fitted grey suit, which she suspected cost an arm and a leg. He didn't look like the tired and straggly 17-year-old she remembered but a well-adjusted twenty-six-year-old. The years of maliciousness had seemingly worn off, revealing some extremely handsome features. She, however, didn't know any more than she had seen or heard from him and her curiosity piqued. She made a note in her head to ask around about him. Her attention returned to the classified project she had been offered to be a part of. Auror work was more exciting than her job at the bookshop, but it had slowed down significantly and what he was offering seemed exciting. She hoped it really was.

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 **What did you think guys? Please do leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **I'm so sorry about being away for so long. Here's an update on the story. Please leave a review if you like it. I am also taking suggestions for anything you'd specifically like to read. I will try to use it.**

 **Warning: There is mild swearing in this chapter.**

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Hermione let out a soft groan as she scanned the page. "No, no, no...for fuck's sake." She shuffled through the contents of the pages in front of her, her grimace deepening as she got closer to the end. Muttering a non-verbal spell, she let out a frustrated sigh. "This is unreal."

"You called, Ms Granger?" her assistants head was peaking through the door of her office.

"Yes Murphy, can we please get all the department heads in a room for closed-door meeting. Tell them this is an emergency, please."

It only took twenty minutes for Murphy to execute her request and as she looked around at the different heads of the Auror department, she was relieved she had him. Time was of the essence.

Hermione cleared her throat loudly, causing a silence to descend over the occupants of the room. "For those of you who don't know me, I am Hermione Granger and I am the head of the Auror Department Stats and Action Commission. Thank you all for joining me.

"Three months ago when I joined this department, I had commissioned a crime stats report. It was essentially going to be a comparison between pre-war and post-war numbers, so that we could get a handle on how to better help the magical community. The stats came in earlier today and it brings me no pleasure to say that they are dismal." She paused, noting the confusion on the many faces looking up at her. "I can understand you have questions, so let me address those first before moving on."

"Hi, Harry Potter filling in for Dolohov Minesty, head of Dark Magic Trackers, what do you mean terrible, Ms Granger? Our department caught sixteen death eater in the last month alone. We regard this as a personal best. We even managed to make five big time dark magic busts."

She gave Harry a small smile. It was nice to see a familiar face in the room, seeing as it was her first big meeting ever since she had joined. And she was only giving them bad news. "Yes Mr Potter, thank you for your question. Between Mr Linis," she referred to the Auror department head who had personally hired her, "the Minister of Magic and myself, we had decided to leave out dark magic findings because they are outliers of a post-war scenario. The stats in themselves tried to keep a normal, non-emergent scenario as a base. So the report covers the numbers on day-to-day crimes across a period of five to seven years. Unfortunately, basic crimes are up 500%: burglaries are up 250%, illegal magic is up 140%... I will be sending the report summaries around, so you can have a look at the numbers yourself.

"Look I am going to level with you guys, since the end of the war, the Auror department has been getting a huge number of complaints - which is why my commission was created. It's obvious that it is going to take a long time for people to feel safe. What we can do to help is make sure the streets are as safe as they can get and that doesn't seem to be happening right now.

"I will be breaking down the numbers and having one-on-one meetings with each department to see how we can introduce new age resources to make things better. But till the time that we don't figure that out, I expect all departments to stay on high alert and take with this with the utmost seriousness. Guys, if these numbers get out - especially to the press - we will have a huge law and order problem on our hands, so please be sensitive with the information.

"This is confidential information, for now. You can visit me on my first floor office if you have any issues and I will be looking for department reports and plan of actions to be sent to me as soon as possible. Please consider this priority. Personally, I believe the situation is more than salvageable and I have huge trust in you guys, with your experience, to help me make this the number one department in the ministry. That will be all, thank you for your time."

Harry came up to her as people began to leave. "Good job, Hermione."

"You think so? Thank you," she let out a nervous laugh. "That was spectacularly bad news to deliver at my very first meeting."

"You'll figure it out. I trust you. And I am glad you're here. How are things with Ron?"

"They're alright. He's been really supportive, especially since this is a desk job for now."

"Glad to hear it. Let's go out this Friday. I feel like all of us haven't hung out in forever."

"Yes, that'll be gre-"

"Ms Granger, ma'am, Mr Malfoy is here to see you." Murphy interrupted her.

Hermione cussed under her breathe. "That was today?" She noticed Harry's expression. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll tell you, later. I'm down for Friday. I got to go."

He chuckled and nodded, but he doubted she noticed because she was already flying out of the door.

When Hermione reached the front door of her office, she was panting heavily. She paused, doubling over, holding on to the door knob for support. Draco Malfoy was back to hear about her association with MACUSA. The Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt and even her department head Ramsey Linis had given her the go ahead, much to her suprise. They thought it would better relations between the two governments, which was essential as had become evident to them during the war. The support from another government could have helped them against Voldemort. Hermione took a deep breathe and ran her hands through her hair. She smoothed her skirt and pushed the door open.

"Mr Malfoy, how are you?"

If it was possible, Malfoy looked even better than last time. His grey eyes swiveled toward her, following her as she took her seat on the opposite side of the desk. She felt a little conscious about herself, trying to be as graceful as possible as she sunk into her chair.

"I am well Ms Granger. How about yourself? Although I won't lie you look a little stressed."

 _God damn, his beautiful, observant eyes,_ she thought. "Things...are not that great, yeah. I know you're here about the offer and I was all set to take it, but there has been news today, which puts me in a tight spot. I think, I might have to decline."

He didn't respond to her right away, looking at her thoughtfully. She noticed his eyes weren't all cool grey like before, but seemed to have some specks of black in them.

"I had a feeling you might say that," he finally responded, "I am guessing this is about the crime stats."

"That's confidential. How did you know? Are you spying on us?" her eyes narrowed. She knew she'd regret saying that immediately, as his eyes became steely and his voice was sharp when he responded.

"I am a government employ, not a spy. The file is right there on the desk. If this is confidential, as you say, you're not doing a very good job of hiding it."

Hermione turned red as she noticed the file spread across her desk; her colourful highlighters streaking across the pages and making the worst parts stand out in fluorescent colours.

Draco sighed. "Look Ms Granger, we'd love to have you on board and honestly, I have strict instructions to return with a yes from your side. But, I am not going to push you. You have a couple of days to think it over. I am in town for a break. Let me know if you change your mind."

And he was gone.

Hermione felt like such an asshole. She was rude for no reason. She couldn't believe it, but he was the one who had been perfectly polite on both occasions that he had met her and she had been judgemental and reductive. She should have immediately apologised.

 _I am an idiot, she thought._ Then letting out a huge groan, she flopped herself on the desk and wondered what to do. There's was lots of work ahead of her.

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 **I know it is going a bit slow, but I am just setting the story up. Hope you guys have liked it so far. Let me know what you think in the reviews.**

 **Cheers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Well, I had a burst of creativity so here's chapter 3, because why not?! Please leave a review if you like it. I am also taking suggestions for anything you'd specifically like to read. I will try to use it.**

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Draco looked straight into her eyes, as if he were looking straight into her soul. She felt naked. He stretched out a hand and brushed a stray hair aside from her cheek. He stroked her cheek, tracing his way down to her throat. Her breathe hitched. She parted her lips. "Hermione." His one word sent shivers down her spine. Then, he closed the distance between them.

Hermione woke up with a start. "What the fuck," she said to herself loudly. Did she just have that dream about Draco bleeding Malfoy? Ew. Or okay, he was kind of hot. So, not ew, but highly discouraged.

She noticed the sun from peeking behind her curtains, so she flung her legs over the side of her bed. Guess, she was going to start her day early because her dreams could no longer be trusted. She needed to get these stupid thoughts out of her mind. As she sat at the edge of her bed, her eyes fell on a white sheet of paper on her desk. Ah, yes, Draco's response to her letter. She had written to him later that day after being incredibly rude. She had apologised profusely and offered to take him out for lunch — an invitation that, to her surprise, he had accepted. So today, she was meeting Draco Malfoy — the boy who called her a Mudblood and the boy she punched in the face — to lunch.

She shrugged, pulling herself up. She wanted to look nice today. Malfoy was always dressed to the hilt and she didn't want to feel like a hobo. Plus, surprise, surprise, the story about the dismal crime stats had somehow made their way to the media. Thankfully, the numbers themselves hadn't been released so there's no way the press could get their hands on them. She had herself to thank for that. The whole 'Marietta Edgecombe-sneak' situation had been on her mind when she jinxed the crime stats. Not only could those who had read the report not share them, but they automatically got penalised for it. It was harsh, but necessary.

The ministry was already dealing with low public support after the war. Being able to hire both The Boy Who Lived and the Gryffindor Princess had been huge for morale, but it only raised public trust for a bit before it dipped again. Understandably, the public was still scared that Voldemort or his death eaters might come back. The fact that it had taken seventeen-year-olds at Hogwarts to beat the strongest dark wizard didn't look good for the ministry and its trained staff. Besides trying to arrest Harry, Dolores Umbridge's move against Muggle borns and all the war-time gaffes had hurt the ministry big time.

So, to get ahead of the media furore, Hermione had decided to go ahead and schedule an interview with the Daily Prophet. Lunch with Malfoy and an interview with the Prophet, Hermione chuckled at the incredulity of her day's plans. She still hadn't decided to whether to take the MACUSA job, but Shacklebolt had encouraged her to consider it. He believed she could handle both the jobs together.

Hermione shook her head. Three months ago, she was working at a bookshop, where nothing happened. Now, she was wondering whether to work with the American ministry along with the British one. She felt slightly overwhelmed.

Shaking her head, she decided focus on one thing at a time.

"GINNYYY, I NEED YOUR HELP." Hermione yelled; then she waited. Her announcement was followed by a thud and some shuffling. Fifty seconds later, a disgruntled Ginny Weasley peaked into her bedroom.

"I hate you. What do you want?"

"It is a long day for me. I have lunch with Malfoy at noon, then I have an interview with the Prophet and I am meeting you guys at Tom's for drinks so I kind of need an all occasion look."

"Did you say you have lunch with Malfoy?" Ginny looked slightly more awake now. The young redhead had crashed at Hermione's last night after Harry went off to chase some death eaters and she was left all alone in the house. Ginny was on break from the Holyhead Harpies, so she decided to stay the night with her best friend. She had known about the whole Malfoy situation, but Hermione had failed to mention the lunch.

"Yeah, after you went to bed, he finally responded to my letter. I had suggested lunch to make up for it and he agreed."

"Strange"

"I know right...so what do I wear?"

Forty-five minutes later, Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. She was quite pleased with how it all turned out. She was wearing dark denim jeans, in which she had tucked in her only white button down shirt. She paired with a dark blazer and pink pumps — "for a pop of colour", according to Ginny.

She didn't look bad. In fact, she looked quite sleek. Ginny ran her eyes over her handiwork.

"Not bad, Hermione. You look kinda hot. Bet Malfoy is going to be all over this." She said, grinning and making a gesture to Hermione's body.

"Ginny!"

"Gotta admit, he's so hot. You should totally go for it."

"God," Hermione groaned, blushing as she remembered her dream. "I have to go. Thanks for your help, Gin. I'll see you tonight?"

"Yes! Goodluck!" Ginny replied, retracing her steps back to the guest room. Probably to go back to sleep.

Hermione poured a coffee to go and grabbed a brioche roll before making her way to the ministry.

*

The morning had been a total hell. Her feet hurt from the pumps, the ministry was freaking out about the press leak and she was getting second thoughts about her lunch with Malfoy. She had just sat through a six hour meeting with the guy who had leaked the story to the press and had had a lengthy discussion with her department head about her interview and her next plan of action. She didn't even get a moment to breathe.

 _If it gets this busy everyday, then how would I make time for MACUSA, she thought._

Hermione had reached Diagon Alley. She was standing in one of its many bylanes, where she had chosen a discreet place for lunch. Her stomach growled.

"Cut it out, will you?" She told her stomach, unthinkingly. It became awkward once she noticed a young woman looking at her as if she was insane as she walked by. Hermione gave her a weak smile. Then she beelined for the front door of Magix Anonymous. She had to walk through a wall, similar to the one at King's Cross from where she had boarded the Hogwarts Express during her school life.

"Ms Granger, welcome back," the maître d' recognised her. She had grown to love this cute café. It was also in a reclusive location, giving her a break from prying eyes. It didn't hurt that they served a killer goulash — the perfect comfort food. She had fallen in love with the dish during a summer time trip to Vienna with her parents. She thought back to the trip, feeling a pang of sadness.

"Thanks Ezra, I'm meeting Mr Malfoy today. So a table for two?"

"He's already here Ms. Come this way, please."

Ezra guided her through toward the end of the restaurant. There weren't many people there, thankfully, seeing as it was a weekday. She spotted Malfoy's blonde hair, before seeing him. He rose to greet her when he noticed them approaching.

"Ms Granger" he held out his hand. She took it and feeling his warm skin on hers reminded of her dream from earlier in the morning. She flushed.

"Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded, letting go of his hand. They both sat down.

"Ezra, we'll each have a glass of red wine, please." Malfoy said, "Would you like to order what you want to eat, now?"

"Yes, thank you. I'll have the goulash."

"Make that two." He said, earning a surprised look from Hermione. "It's their best dish."

She nodded with a smile. "You've been here, then, I take it?"

"I like how private it is."

"Yeah, me too. Malfoy, I want to say sorry once again. I've been a little rude to you and it was unwarranted-"

"Draco" He interrupted.

"Sorry?"

"Call me Draco. Look, it's okay. I get it. I was a complete asshole, especially to you, when we were younger. I'm not proud of myself for that and it makes a littler sensitive to criticism. But Ms Granger, believe me when I say, I have changed. And I would love to have you aboard on the MACUSA project."

"Hermione. You should call me by my first name if we're working together." She said with a coy smile, earning a grin in return. "I really shouldn't be drinking though. I'm still on the clock."

"Well, you look like you need a drink." He smirked.

"First of all, rude. Second, god, this day has been too long, so true." She took a sip of the wine that appeared at their table. He continued to smirk. "So Malfoy, tell me about this job."

Hermione couldn't believe it but her lunch with Malfoy had gone off better than she had expected. It had been...fun. He was smart and witty. He even seemed to like many of the same things that she did. She couldn't believe he had changed so much. Gone was the Malfoy who was smug and entitled. Now he seemed warm and empathetic.

So when she left from lunch, she felt a whole lot better about her day. Even an interview with the Daily Prophet couldn't ruin that. She had accidentally ended up staying much longer than she'd planned to, forcing her to hurry if she wanted to be on time for her interview. As she stepped into the newspaper office, she took a deep breathe. She was going to quash any further rumours about her department. She was determined.

 **End of Chapter 3. Please leave a review and tell me how you feel. Still too slow? Should I pace it up? What would you like more of — action, romance, sexual tension? Let me know!**


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